Three Sentenced for Roles in Police Smuggling Ring

Two former New York Police Department officers and one retired officer have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a smuggling ring that transported untaxed cigarettes, slot machines, counterfeit goods and guns.

Eight active or retired police officers were arrested last October for alleged roles int he smuggling ring, along with a Department of Sanitation police officer, a New Jersey corrections officer and two others. It was “a group of crime fighters who took to moonlighting as criminals,” said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said.

The case started in 2009 with ticket fixing, according to the criminal complaint.

That’s when William Masso, a police officer who pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in June, was introduced to a confidential informant working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation who asked about having a traffic ticket erased. The two developed a relationship, and Masso eventually told the informant he was looking to obtain cigarettes with fraudulent New York State tax stamps from a Native American reservation.

The officer and his partners in the ring planned to re-sell the cigarettes to convenience stores in the city, according to the complaint. Ultimately, members of the smuggling ring accepted payment to serve as armed escorts — and for more than just cigarettes.

Other contraband supplied by the FBI would be transported for deals with undercover agents posing as buyers, authorities say. Over a year, the smuggling scheme grew to include slot machines that were purportedly stolen from Atlantic City, counterfeit clothing and handbags, and eventually guns.

Some in the group helped smuggle than 20 guns into the city, including three M-16 rifles, and escorted the informant to locations where the weapons were “sold” to undercover agents.

On Tuesday, three former police officers who pleaded guilty in the case received prison sentences between one and three years in federal court in Manhattan. (Masso was previously sentenced to five years in prison for his role.)

John Mahoney, 27-year-old from Staten Island who had been assigned to the 68th Police Precinct in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, was sentenced to one year and one day. He pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to transport and receive stolen property. Authorities said he took part only in the smuggling of the slot machines and cigarettes, for which he was paid $4,500.

Mahoney’s lawyer, Leo Duval, said the sentence, which was less than the 15 to 21 months called for in federal guideline, “reflected Mr. Mahoney’s minor role compared to other defendants in the case, his categorical acceptance of responsibility and the profound remorse that was recognized by the court.”

Another former member of the 68th Precinct, Eddie Goris, 32, of Rosedale, N.Y., was sentenced to three years in prison. He pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. in connection with the gun-smuggling scheme, for which authorities said he was paid a total of $30,000.

“Eddie Goris is a decent guy who was caught up in a bad situation,” said his attorney, Rae Downes Koshetz. “He pleaded guilty and is anxious to take care of his family and move on with his life after he serves his sentence.”

Richard Melnik, a 43-year-old retired police officer from Staten Island, was sentenced to 21 months in prison. He pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to transport and receive stolen property. He took part in smuggling slot machines, cigarettes and other goods he was told were stolen, and authorities said he was paid $10,500.

“Mr. Melnik took full responsibility for his actions,” said his attorney Scott Leemon. “He was found to have had a minimal role in the conspiracy and just wants to put this whole ordeal behind him.”